Pale Horse
by Moonlight Sonata Cat
Summary: In the future, organ failure is an issue. Erik Destler is the CEO of an organ financing company, yet there is a morbid side to the business. When Christine's father can't make the payments for his newly implanted organ, Christine's world turns upside down


**Summary**: In the future, organ failure has become an issue. Erik Destler is the CEO of an organ financing company, yet there is a morbid side to his business. When Christine's father can't make the payments for his new implanted organ, Christine's world turns upside down. Dark & AU Leroux.

**A/N: I hope you enjoy this story. The idea is from "Repo: the Genetic Opera", which has Sarah Brightman in it :D However, it's nothing like the plot, except sharing some ideas.**

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Chapter I

- I -

Christine was walking quickly down the busy city sidewalk with her hand covering her mouth and nose with a scarf. The air was polluted and tainted with chemicals and the byproducts of manufacturers. The sky was pitch black with the sun hidden somewhere behind the thick layer of smog.

Christine once remembered how life was when she was a child, when she could run out and play beneath the warm sun… but now, everything had been run down. She couldn't remember when she had last seen the stars. The world had changed. It was a world run by greedy corporations with the cost of ruining beautiful things that were taken for granted.

The sidewalk Christine was walking on was filled with people wearing only black and dark grey. The only two colors that seemed to exist now in people's wardrobe, any other color would get dirtied and sullied when walking outside. Only dark colors could fit the depressing atmosphere, as if the world was in mourning.

Christine looked to her right and saw women wearing suggestive clothes and their face powdered white, lips painted with deep red lipstick, and eyes etched with dark eye shadow. They were eyeing the men walking by and giving them feline smiles. There was also a lecherous man leaning against the wall with a bottle in a brown bag who gave Christine a devious wink. Christine held her hand with her scarf tighter to her face, as if to hide herself.

The city was filled with bright digital billboards and fluorescent lights. There were numerous holographic screens displaying the news and upcoming events. The lights gave a dim illumination in the dark city. Christine's long blonde wavy hair swayed as she walked and her blue eyes were bright under the fluorescent lights that shown above her. She contrasted starkly with the environment around her.

Christine quickly turned into a coffee shop and lowered her hand from her mouth. She took a slow intake of air. She took out her inhaler from her purse and hurriedly shook it and put it to her mouth for a quick puff. She exhaled slowly and closed her eyes. She had walked more than a few blocks to get here and it was nice to breathe air that was at least cleaner than outside. The city air was her enemy and horrible for her asthma.

_"Now where are you, Meg?" _Christine asked herself as she scanned the seats and booths in the busy coffee shop.

Meg was sitting by the window and waved her hand when she saw Christine. Meg gave her a beaming smile when Christine walked up to her.

"So, how have you been, Chris?" Meg smiled, as she put her elbows on the table and placed her chin in her hands. Meg's stylish short black hair gleamed in the light.

"I've been okay, I suppose," Christine sighed, "My dad has been having a rough time since his operation and I've been taking care of him the best as I can. He says he wants to return to work within a week, but I'm not sure if he is strong enough yet."

Meg gave a concerned look and reached out for Christine's hand, "I'm sure everything will work out and if you need any help, I'm always here for you."

"Thanks, Meg," Christine smiled a little and squeezed her hand in appreciation.

"You know what, Chris, we need to find ourselves husbands, then we wouldn't have to worry so much about our finances and have a good life," Meg joked, trying to lift Christine's spirits.

Christine laughed and rolled her eyes, "Yea, I'm sure that will solve all our problems…"

Meg stuck out her tongue good-humoredly and drank her coffee.

Christine then groaned and rubbed her temples with her fingers. She had not been able to eat or sleep properly. It has been showing in her fragile frame and pale skin. She has been able to hide her anxiety and push herself to be strong, but it has been taxing on her.

Working as a waitress in a small restaurant has been a decent income, but not enough to meet the demands of the numerous bills. She has been trying to pay the regular bills and medical bills, which continue to pile up and weigh heavily on her shoulders. She has been able to keep some of the mail hidden from her father in fear that he'll become more stressed in his critical state, but it hasn't been easy.

Meg frowned and looked worried, "Are you sure you're okay?"

Christine immediately snapped out of her thoughts and put on a smile, "No worries, I'm fine."

The TV's noise in the shop was loud in the background and Meg's interest got caught on a commercial. Christine followed Meg's eyes to the TV screen.

It was an attractive woman talking with a sooth voice. Her eyes were magnetic and lips pursed in a compelling smile,

_"…Do you fear sickness, aging, and death? Escape these setbacks with organ transplants and tissue regeneration. Anything is possible with O.G. Corporation. Here we create our own organs and tissue..."_

Christine took a sip of coffee and ignored the rest of the commercial. She had already made a contract with the O.G. Corporation for her father's newly implanted heart, but it seems like it's hard for her father's body to accept the new organ, in addition to fighting the other sicknesses in his body. He has been taking medicine so his body doesn't attack the foreign organ, but it has been warring on him. It also cost quite a bit of money and Christine has been slowly paying the interest, but she didn't know how long she could keep up with the payments.

Meg looked away from the screen, "Maybe you should talk with this company and get a new pair of lungs. Your asthma days would be gone."

"That would cost me an arm and leg, Meg," Christine choked on her coffee, "I already have my father's transplant to pay for. I can't imagine paying for another one and I'm scared to death of surgery."

"I suppose you're right," Meg sighed, but gave Christine a hopeful smile, "But if you had a great pair of lungs, you could probably sing like those famous opera singers we see on TV."

Christine smiled, looking at the TV in disbelief, "Hah, that would be the day…"

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_In the O.G. Corporation…_

The smell of bleach was strong in the white tiled room. There was an array of cutting instruments on the steel table in the corner. It was similar to a hospital operation room. The lighting was quite dim, almost black, which made the room unsettling.

There was a long cold metal table in the center of the room, with a man strapped in with leather belts.

The man was groggy and was finally coming around with his moaning. He opened his eyes and tried moving, but was unable to move. The man's eyes looked wildly around the room, his heart was beating frantically.

A tall dark figure emerged from the shadows. The man's eyes were the same amber as a feline's eyes and reflected in the darkness.

"Ah, yes, Mr. Joseph Buquet, how nice for you to be here this evening," the dark figure spoke with his deep voice filling the tiled room.

"Where the hell am I!" Buquet spat with his mouth contorted with a mixture of fear and anger. Sweat was forming around his brow. His greasy hair was plastered against his scalp.

"Why, don't you remember me? It was so many years ago… It doesn't matter now I suppose…" the figure remarked to himself, ignoring Buquet's question.

"What sick bastard are you? Show me your face!" Buquet yelled, trying to shake his body with the leather straps firmly binding him.

The figure only chuckled to himself in his baritone voice, "Do you really want to see my face? I recall how you reacted during that _incident_." He hissed the last part between his teeth.

"What the - " Buquet then suddenly stopped in tremor, everything made sense to him now. His face twisted in disbelief and stammered, "You! You died! You couldn't have lived!"

"Oh, I did die! I am living death, Buquet," The dark figure laughed sickly, "Here I am now, with my reaper, harvesting!" He smiled and continued, "You are here now before me so I can repossess the organ you loaned from me. I believe it was a liver, being an alcoholic never pays off…"

Buquet, his eyes were wide, "You can't repossess my liver! That's in-humane!"

"Oh no it isn't, we signed a contract didn't we?" the figure's amber eyes burnt in the darkness, "If you can't meet the payments, I have every right to take back what I own, and believe me, I made sure you couldn't keep up with my rates."

Buquet began to tremble and sobbed helplessly, "Please no… no… no…" He looked pathetic with his face ruddy and eyes swollen red.

The figure flicked on the lights so the whole room was immersed with a pale light. The electricity gave a soft hum.

"Let's begin, shall we?" The dark figure smiled, his lips being the only part of his face not being covered by a skeletal mask.

Buquet starting screaming like a mad man.

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Christine briskly ran across the street of traffic on her way back home. Christine looked at her watch on her wrist and noticed it was time for her to prepare dinner for her dad. She picked up her pace, hoping she would get home faster.

As she was walking quickly, she heard music, which made her stop for a moment. She looked up to the holographic screen up near the building skyline and saw a woman with a theatrical smile singing. Her hair was up in an elaborate piece and her face was powdered ivory with puckered red lips.

She was singing a song from the opera _Samson et Dalila_; it was _'Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix'_. It was a new rendition of the song, with a more "gothic" and "metal" twist on opera with synthetics. Most of the opera that was publicized had a new dark sound that gave a chilling effect. It was otherworldly almost, but Christine preferred the pure sound of music without the addition of technology. This music had a sensual tone, which made Christine feel uncomfortable to say the least. She didn't know how to react to it, but she did admit that it was beautiful.

Christine continued to stare at the porcelain singer with her lavish dress, singing her ghostly song. Christine frowned; she noticed the woman was singing garishly and loudly.

_"I suppose it fits her dramatic persona…" _Christine thought as she squinted her eyes back to the woman.

A banner then displayed below the opera singer on the screen: "_Carlotta Giudicelli, in Concert soon_."

_"Maybe Meg would like to go get tickets with me," _Christine thought to herself as she continued walking, she then remembered that she couldn't afford it with her tight budget.

She looked back at her watch and gasped at the time. She was late.

Christine pushed her legs as hard as she could without making herself breathe too hard. All she could hear jogging home was _'Mon coeur s'ouvre a ta voix'_.

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**A/N: I hoped you enjoyed it! By the way, Carlotta isn't a horribly bad singer in this, she's good, but she's not perfect. Tell me what you think! :)**


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